5 ways to repair your jeans #MendingMonday

We’re introducing #MendingMonday on the blog (and on Instagram, too!). We’re going to show you some fab, often easy, techniques to repair your clothes and for good reason; fashion has become disposable and that’s having a devastating impact on our planet. Have a read of this. By buying less, buying quality and caring for the items we already own, we can begin to tackle this ever-growing problem…..

So first up we’re tackling how to repair a wardrobe staple, your jeans.

Patch them holes!

This is such a simple thing to do! And you can be super-creative with it. Just follow these steps…

Cut some fabric – any fabric – a little bigger than the hole.

Pin it in place.

Hand sew it.

Voila, you’re done. So easy. Takes less than half an hour.

Repair zippers

It’s devastating when the zipper busts on a perfectly good pair of jeans! Check out this video on how to fix a jean zipper that is off track. It takes a little time, but worth the investment.

Fixing the crotch

Often the first place to show signs of wear and tear, this one is a useful one to know. It can also be patched, like in the first example, but needs to be a little more robust. Fusible denim is the ideal option for crotch repairs and you can but it for a couple of pounds. See full instructions here.

Fixing frayed hems

Instructables have a really simple follow step by step page on how to do this, so I won’t repeat that here, have a read of it. If you want to hem them properly, and have a little extra length to play with, this is a great tutorial – a real life skill!

Refashion!

Not exactly a repair, but really worth remembering that making a pair of much-loved jeans in to a pair of shorts or in to a skirt is super easy. It’s a five-minute job but this video has some great tips for cutting a great shape:

and if you’d like to refashion into something else, this is a great round-up.

Let us know what you’re mending – tag us @jakeandmaya on Instagram and use #MendingMonday